The following invention relates to means for removing feathers from fowl.
In my former U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,222 I disclosed a feather plucking device comprising a rubber drum having a plurality of soft rubber conical projections extending from the peripheral surface thereof. The drum is mounted for rotation on a power-driven threaded shaft extending through the center of the drum. The conical projections act to penetrate the mass of feathers on the fowl and remove the feathers when a fowl is pressed against the rapidly rotating drum.
An important feature of the above-described feather plucking device is the resilience or elasticity of the drum and conical projections. This resiliency allows the device to yield radially when a fowl is pressed against the rotating drum, thereby preventing the skin of the fowl from being broken or abraded.
The surface resilience of the device is due to the softness of the rubber used in forming the drum and conical projections. In addition a plurality of longitudinal apertures enhance the radial resilience of the drum.
One of the problems associated with the above-described device is its tendency to strip relative to the shaft during the feather plucking operation. The drum of this device is secured to a power-driven threaded shaft by means of a pair of opposing washers and nuts which are tightened against the sides of the drum. Unless the opposing washers and nuts are forcibly tightened against the sides of the drum, slipping occurs when the fowl is pressed tightly against the drum and as feather oils and other debris work their way between the washers and the sides of the drum. This slipping produces a loss of efficiency in the use of the feather plucker.
Forcibly tightening the two opposing nuts and washers against the sides of the drum to minimize slipping, however, causes the opposing washers to press deeply into the sides of the soft rubber drum, deforming the drum transversely, and making it less resilient near its sides. This distortion largely negates the resilience derived from the transverse apertures within the drum. Consequently, it is more difficult to remove the feathers from the fowl without abrading or breaking the skin of the fowl.
Furthermore, if such deformation is transversely asymetrical, the drum member tends to wobble about the rotating axis, which also adversely effects the operation of the device.
It is therefore a principle object of the present invention to provide an improved feather plucking device which can be securely mounted on a threaded shaft without the rubber drum member being appreciably deformed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an improved feather plucking device which can be easily and simply manufactured in a mold.
The improved feather plucking device comprises a resilient, or rubbery, drum of cylindrical shape having a plurality of resilient conical projections, a plurality of peripheral longitudinal aperture, and a central aperture for mounting the drum on a threaded shaft. The improvement comprises a pair of compressible bosses, formed integrally with the sides of the drum and extending outwardly therefrom, which allow the shaft to be tightly secured to the drum member without appreciably deforming the main body of the drum.